Coming home from the national tournament to one last week of our regular season could be depressing, except we have Westside and the Ducks going heads up to determine the final wild card spot on Sunday! The teams met for the first time in 2013 just two weeks ago: the Ducks won game one, then - in typical fashion - rolled over after falling behind early in the second game. They would say they would have swept if they had Phillip Morris. However, Westside was also without their second star pitcher, Thomas DeMaria. Both of those pitchers are slated to be there this time around as Westside comes into this final sprint with a two-game lead.

The paths taken by these two teams to get to this point of heading toward a photo finish could not be any different. Westside jumped out to a 9-1 start and has slid back toward .500 since. Alex Shore jokingly commented during their week 12 victory over the Ducks that it was the most offense the team has had all season. He was not far off. It was the first time they had scored nine since June 2nd, and tied for the second most runs in a game all season. 14 runs at home against Belgian, again on June 2nd, are the most scored by the Warriors on

From week 12: Warriors and Ducks second game of the season

the season. On the season Westside ranks seventh in offensive production at 3.29 RpG, while a .262 team batting average finds them at sixth.

The Warriors have made their strides on the mound. Their 1.80 team WHIP is good enough for third in WSEM. As mentioned above, DeMaria is expected to return this week after a two month absence; he leads the team with a 1.00 WHIP and 1.94 ERA. Sam Hatt and Keifer Haffey are right behind "Bones" with a 1.58 and 1.39 WHIP, respectively. All three find themselves in the top ten in that category. As hinted with the term "absence," many of Westside's stumbles this season are attributed to having spot starters filling in for their big arms. With the playoffs on the horizon, hopefully, that no longer seems to be a problem for the black and orange.

On the other hand, the Ducks were in shambles after ten games at 2-8; they have since turned things around and stormed their way back into the race. What turned them around was also, in part, pitching help. Specifically, finding Morris to round out their rotation. His statistics are inflated, 3.56 WHIP and 5.62 ERA, but so are his strike out numbers at 2.88 KpI. He keeps batters off balance, and with the potent offense provided by Dennis Pearson and Dylan Braden there is a fighting chance to get five-to-six runs of support. Case in point: he is 3-1 on the season.

So, what exactly has to happen for either team to secure the wild card? Well, I hope you like if/then statements and third party candidates!

In addition to the head-to-head meeting, both the Ducks and Warriors also have King Friday on the schedule. Rebecca Black's favorite team can play as big of a role in this outcome as any. Let us start off with the simplest possibility to work with: both Westside and Ducks sweep Friday. If that happens, then the Ducks must sweep Westside to finish tied at 15-13 and send the decision to tiebreakers. In this case the Ducks would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, and advance to the playoffs. If Westside can take even one game here, then we will see the Ducks August 10th at Pervis for the Thrill. If both the Ducks and Warriors split with Friday, the situation in their series remains the same: just with one less win in the column.

If the Ducks manage to do one game better than Westside at Friday (DU sweep/WW split or DU split/WW swept), then they are still in a dangerous place. A split with Westside would still see them finish game behind. A sweep would have the Ducks take fourth place outright, but since they would have the tiebreaker anyway, it is just a formality. The real advantage for the Ducks comes if Westside slips up badly at Make-Believe and loses two while the Ducks sweep. In this case, both teams come in on even footing. A split in this situation would even seem to favor the Ducks, who have a lead in the run differential tiebreaker.

Now the other way, if Westside can get even one more win than the Ducks against Friday, then the Ducks run is over and Westside can sip champagne on elementary school grounds. The police will look the other way.

The most intriguing possibility, not to mention the darkest of horses in this race, is what happens if Friday manages to sweep both the Warriors and Ducks. In this circumstance, a Westside sweep or split between the Ducks and them puts Westside in the playoffs. However, a Ducks sweep of Westside would bring all teams to a 13-15 tie! Meaning it is time for a tiebreaker dance-off! Head-to-head would not gain a result: Westside holds it over Friday, but are even with the Ducks; Ducks are even with both; Friday is even with Ducks, but loses it to Westside. So, it would come down to run differential, which is currently held by Friday - and with four wins coming they would only gain more of a lead. In order for the King's men not to make the playoffs here, the Ducks would need to beat Westside by a significant margin in both games to edge out Friday for the wild card.

Get all that? Well, just think of it this way: the three series Westside and the Ducks play in this weekend will all play a big role in determining who gets that final playoff spot. Every game is huge! What more could you want from down-the-stretch Wiffleball?

Over to the right is a rundown of all the week thirteen picks. David had the roughest week going 4-9; he did hit the only lock made, though, with Phillips getting a W on the mound for Big Wood. Rich and Mike-as-Alex both split the difference and posted 6-6 records. Chris did one better at 7-5, giving him a little more cushion to play with going into the final week. Still, the crown is anyone's to take, since we decided to go with a "Final Jeopardy" style of loading up on the lock this week: each Picker can take any amount of the correct picks they have made and wager them on their lock. Get it right, and jump up the ranks; get it wrong, and have your own numbers turn against you.

No easy picks to close things out, either. A couple over over/unders with big numbers, a couple point spreads with tiny numbers, and a few prop bets sailing on the wind to take us home.

David(27 - 42, .391)

Richard(40 - 28, .588)

Alex / Mayor(25 - 33, .431)

Chris(43 - 27, .614)

@HB hits:Over/Under 29.5

Over

OverI look for the Wiffles to show some heart in the season finale but come up short with pitching

UnderWager: 25 points

OverWager: 5 pointsBalls bat around (3) times in the first inning.

@How will the first run(s) be scored?(BB, 1B, HR, etc.)

BB

1B

BB

HRShore hits a lead off bomb to start the game.

@Series Point Spread:WW -1.5

Warriors-1.5

Warriors-1.5

Warriors-1.5

Ducks+1.5

@Closest to # w/ogoing over:Outs recorded before a run is scored

1

2I think the number will be higher 5 or 6 even but 2 is good enough for the point

6

1Dennis hits a dinger in the first to score the first run of the game.

@Total Ks:Over/Under 39.5

OverWager: 27 points

OverWager: 13 pointsAce's put an inflatable pirate ship in the pool and then sink it.

Islanders will also serve the team in a behind the scenes capacity. London-side, the SeMIs team is headed up by Nick Coffee from King Friday, with Evan Bortmas of the Wicked Aces, Braden and Chris Paquin of Holy Balls, and Nagorski and Dennis Pearson of the Ducks. Belgian Wiffles will be the only team from WSEM that goes unrepresented this weekend in Ohio.

There is a lot more to the trip than the games, and the dynamic between the returning leagues seems to be a fantastic balance of comradery, competition, and party. It will also be great to meet the new blood, and see first-hand what they add to the proceedings. Still, on the field both of our teams have some goals in mind. Obviously, Big Wood wants to win the NWLAT, and looks to have a chance. Short of that, though, they want another crack at the TBW Lightning. TBW is the team that single handedly knocked us out of the tournament last year, defeating us on three separate occasions. They also want a shot at reigning champions Freaky Franchise from the OCWA.

The SeMIs are looking to make a deep run in the playoffs. After a great showing in 2009 as the Jammers, finishing in the top ten of 60+ teams, our bids in London every year have ended within the first two rounds. Winning London is never really on the table for outsiders: it is more an exercise in shenanigans, neck craning, and "did that just happen?" This SeMIs team has enough firepower to make some noise, though.

We leave corralling the rest of the weekend's events in the Pickers hands! After gaining his first lead of the season, Chris cannot be thrilled about this list of twelve picks heavily saturated with over/unders and prop bets, but that is the way the cookie crumbles. These final two weeks will give everyone a shot at reengaging for the crown. One change-up, fellow booty hunter Michael Sessions is filling in for Alex this week, and boy is he salty!

David(23 - 33)

Richard(34 - 22)

Alex / Mike(19 - 27)

Chris(36 - 20)

Big Wood winning %:Over/Under .625

Over

Under

Over

Over

SeMIs wins in London:Over/Under 2.5

Over

Over

OverBortmas will lead the team

Over

HR hit by Alex Shore in the HR Derby:Over/Under 6.5

Over

Over

Under(sorry, Alex)

Under

Pick the winner of the NWLA Tournament

Big WoodJust because I got love for our league and know nothing about the other teams.

CWBC Clubbers

OCWA Freaky Franchise

TBW Lightning

Pick the winner of the Thurs. night Mario Kart tournament

Nick Coffee

Paquin

SkinnerThen he will beat everyone in a tournament for UFC Undisputed

Corbett

Austin Bischoff Ks in his ASG start (1 inn.):Over/Under 2.5

UnderThis may be foolish, but I'm going with under - I say he gets 2.

Over

Over

Under

Craig Skinner ERA in the NWLA Tournament:Over/Under 1.50

Under

Over

Under

Over

Dakota LaDouceur HR in the NWLA Tournament:Over/Under 3.5

Over

Under

Under

Under

Joel Crozier AVG in the NWLA Tournament:Over/Under .275

UnderBats closer to .260

Over

Under

Under

Yes/No:Does Chandler Phillips get a W on the mound for Big Wood?

Yes

Yes

No

No

What will be the first pitch of Big Wood's tournament:ball, strike, foul, or put in play?

Strike

Ball

Ball

Ball

Which team (Big Wood or SeMIs) will be first to score a run on Saturday?

Yes, I know the Warriors and Ducks are also playing this week. Yes, I know those two are locked in a race for the final wild card spot, but guess what? They meet up again in two weeks to close out the season; I promise you that meeting will be the Marquee with everything on the line. Their fates will not be sealed this week, at least not in their series alone. Still holding a three game lead over the Ducks and a magic number of six, Westside has something more important to prove this week as a playoff contender: they need to hang with Whiteford, whom they would likely face in the first round, and at least threaten take a game at Poolside.

Aces @ Warriors highlights from 6/30

Two weeks ago, the Wicked Aces swept the Warriors in a two-game series by a combined score of 20-2. In that series Whiteford outhit Westside .349 to .091, while taking nine more walks (19 to 10). Evan Bortmas of the Aces also belted two home runs and one double, accounting for 75% of the extra base hits in the series. His teammate Joel Crozier provided the fourth with a double. Yes, the Aces have the elite staff of the league - their 0.78 ERA is 2.11 better than the closest following team - but the low production from the Warriors cannot be pinned solely on that. They have been outscored 72-26 over their last eight games played while hitting a scant .159, which has brought their average down to .262 on the season after hitting .330 over their first ten games.

The Warriors pitchers staff also fell on hard times through this stretch. Their staff combined for an ERA of around 9.00 over the last eight games, which has ballooned their ERA up to 4.66, after allowing only 9 runs through their first ten games. The roster clearly has the potential to dance, but the second half has been a rough patch for the Warriors. They urgently need to turn things around with big games down the stretch. Perhaps they can take solace in three quarters of the last stretch having been played at home, where they will not spend much time in the coming weeks.

The Wicked Aces, on the other hand, finish out the season with a long home stand. At Poolside the Aces are 3-1, and outscoring opponents 12-3. Mentioned their dominant, league leading ERA above, and Whiteford's WHIP is similarly elite: at 1.11 it is nearly 0.50 better than second best. The staff - which includes every player on the roster throwing in at least two games, by the way - has a K/BB ratio of 3.01; next best there is 2.20. For good measure, they also have the highest KPI (strike outs per inning) with 2.51. With the

Barone at bat during Westside's 9-1 start

number-one seed in playoffs virtually locked up, expect the Aces to continue throwing every arm on their roster in the final three series to keep them all tuned up for playoff action.

It is not only pitching in the Aces bag of tricks this year, either. They added the Air Force style alternate look at home, and the offense has taken off with it: second in team batting average (.324) and OPS (1.069). Their numbers are down a bit at home - with a small sample size - where at least their next eight games will be played: a .262 team average and just one home run. Still, the important number at the friendly confines is the 3 RpG, compared to the 3 total runs against. Still quite friendly.

That is the team Westside needs to be gunning for, the team that wins over the Ducks will get you the first week in August. Now, you cannot undersell the four remaining games with the Ducks, obviously, but right now Westside has a three game advantage over the Ducks. The Aces series needs to be a benchmark for the Warriors: if they play them close, they are getting back on track and that final series against the Ducks will be "must see TV." If they steal a game, they are in fantastic shape; however, most importantly, they cannot let this series look anything like the games two weeks ago. There is a lot at stake in both Westside series this weekend, but this is the one that will tell us most about the team and their chances right now.

Big week 11 for Chris, going 5-1. Every other Picker game in below the .500 mark: Alex was at 2-3, while David and Rich both went 2-4. In the first pick, 0 hits was still less than 1.5 even with 0 plate appearances, so Rich and Chris got points there; Chris doubled up with his lock. Picks 2a and 2b both came back negative, as there were no pool shot home runs and nobody getting wet; everybody got the first part wrong, but Rich and Chris got the second part right. The split in the Ducks/Balls series was correctly picked by David, Alex, and Chris, but David doubled up on it with his lock. Finally, Will Mundel went over the 10.5 K against El Diablos, so Alex and Chris both got a point there; Rich doubled down with a lock on the under, and came up wanting. The big happening out of all that: Chris has now pulled even with Rich at 33-20 to lead the pack with 3 weeks left to pick.

In the last of two weeks focused on WSEM games, week 12 is all over the place. One basic series result pick in the most intriguing game of the week, one over/under for the most high-powered play in the league, one simple "yes or no" question for a short porch, and something entirely different for the fourth pick. If you're a fan of The Price is Right the premise of that last one will be familiar, but our guys can pick as low as zero. Also, if they get the number exactly, they only get double points instead of $1,000.

David(20 - 32)

Richard(33 - 20)

Alex(16 - 26)

Chris(33 - 20)

@Series Result

1 - 1Split

DucksSweepBuhr promises to take the team out for ice cream if the get 2 hits.

1 - 1SplitSPLIT it!

DucksSweepNader charges the mound after Pearson beans him.

@Pearson HR hit:Over/Under 3

If I say over, then Pearson will certainly be over confident and hit under, therefore I can clearly not choose the over, however, if I say under, Pearson will feel like he needs to prove himself and hit more, therefore I can clearly not choose the over. Pearson has not built up an immunity to iocaine powder. Um...Under

UnderLick it

UnderThe Brannan's are shutting him DOWN!

Over4 ding dong daddy's. 1 off Hewlett, 3 off Brannan.

@Yes/No:Will Westside lefties hit a HR over RF short porch?

No

No

NoLICK IT!

NoAustin gets grounded; hits his mom in the head with a home run ball while she's in the pool.

@Closest to it w/ogoing over:# of outs recorded before a run is scored